


On the Town

by anythingbutblue



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2569256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anythingbutblue/pseuds/anythingbutblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A stolen moment on the Citadel before the Omega 4 mission.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Town

" _Miss Shepard, a woman of your beauty deserves the finest in biotic technology._ "

Slowing down in spite of herself, Shepard glanced toward the advertisement. An asari was front and center, soulful as she spoke.

" _The next time you're out on the town with Officer Vakarian--_ "

A figure fell into step beside her, a familiar blue shade of armor in the corner of her vision. He hummed thoughtfully. Turning her head, she met his eyes.

" _\--the new Sophist biotic amplifier from the Serrice Council is the perfect accessory. Power. Precision. Elegance. It's not just an amplifier. It's an expression of your femininity. Sophist._ "

"Is that what we're calling this?" Garrus sounded more amused than surprised. No doubt he started seeing these targeted ads around the Citadel before he left C-Sec for good. Maybe Omega had some too. "A night out on the town?" He looked down at himself, then cast a look at her equally armored figure. "Good to know."

His skepticism -- and attention -- made her smile. "What? You don't call this dressed for it?"

"Not that I have a problem with it, but I'd say we're dressed for a _gunfight_ on the town."

She could feel what started as a small smile growing into a full-blown grin. "So you mean that's not what a date with Officer Vakarian is like?"

The teasing coaxed a laugh out of him. "Dinner, drinks, and a shoot-out? Well, I guess I can't entirely rule that out."

As they neared the transit hub, there was no sign of Grunt. She found an empty stretch of railing to lean against while they waited, her eyes on the steady parade of ships flying past the windows. "Now I can't help wondering what you'd actually plan."

"You and I have had some _very_ interesting conversations lately, Shepard." He joined her at the railing, leaning back against it in order to watch the customers streaming between Zakera Ward's busy shops. "I'm starting to think you enjoy putting me on the spot."

Putting him on the spot was never her intention, but that didn't mean her grin was shrinking. "Maybe I just want to know how much it takes to make a turian blush."

"Keep trying."

Instead of watching as a frigate eased into its nearby docking bay, she shot a sideways look at him, examining his profile. His scarring was in full view, but he hadn't seemed self-conscious about it since that first day. Not in her presence, at least. "Now you're just _encouraging_ me."

"If I'm not careful you'll start to think I like the attention," he pointed out. Green and purple lights from the nearest storefront danced over his face. "Then where will we be?"

"In some kind of 'interspecies awkwardness thing?'"

His exhale verged on more laughter, mandibles quirked as he turned to her. "Or a night to treasure. I mentioned _that_ possibility too. In fact, I think I said that first."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten." She shifted her weight on the railing, aiming her smile right at him. "It wasn't your smoothest line, but it's working for me."

The plates above his eyes gave her the distinct impression of arched eyebrows, visible appraisal. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. I won't give up on the research then."

"You shouldn't," she assured him quickly. No strings were attached to whatever they wanted to call this agreement of theirs. Strings seemed like a luxury they didn't have while they looked down their scopes at the Omega 4 Relay. The only guarantee was that the two of them were going to take one night -- the calm before the storm, he'd called it -- and make sure it was a good one. It was an agreement to get each other off, the ultimate stress relief, but everything he'd mused about his trust in her rang sharp and true, a sentiment she could easily echo and a compliment she found hard to forget. "We'll work it out." She knew they made a hell of a team. "And I'm doing a little research of my own."

Was he starting to lean in? He was _definitely_ starting to lean in. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I like to know what I'm doing."

"I'd love to see your extranet searches." 

"You'll see more than my search history," she promised with a chuckle, gratified by the reflexive twitch of his mandibles. "But we can start there if you want. It's damning enough that Cerberus probably wouldn't want a report on it."

"I can see it now: _Shepard's infiltration tactics and her mastery of small arms and rifles can't be faulted, but I question the usefulness of her newfound fascination with turian anatomy_." He didn't do Miranda's accent, but the inflection made it seem familiar enough.

Her grin broadened yet again. "Shepard," she said sternly, deepening her voice in a half-hearted imitation of the Illusive Man, "I fully endorse experimentation that benefits humankind, but this is far from what I had in mind."

Again, Garrus laughed. "That's what the infamous Illusive Man sounds like?"

"So my impressions aren't what earned the N7 designation." Her arm bumped his, betraying just how much the space between them had closed during the conversation. "But hey, if you're ever researching and decide you need an explanation right from the source--"

"You _better_ be hungry."

Like kids caught swiping cookies before dinner, she and Garrus both turned to face Grunt, who waited expectantly with two large filled-to-the-brim bags labeled **FISH DOG** dangling from each hand.

To his credit, Garrus barely missed a beat. "Starving." It was only one word, only two syllables, and somehow it was one of the sexiest things she'd ever heard him say.

"You told me not to forget something dextro this time," Grunt continued, matter-of-fact, "so I got one of everything in that column of the menu." He raised one hand in demonstration. "Then I got one of everything levo, too. Seemed fair."

Pushing herself off the railing, Shepard stepped forward to take one of the carry-out bags. "Grunt, that sounds _perfect_."


End file.
